Latch.



No. 813,376- PATENTED FEB. 20, 1906. J. L. GREENWOOD.

LATCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAE.27, 1905.

JASPER LEOPOLD GREENWOOD, OF I-IOBOKEN, NEWV JERSEY.

LATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 20, 1906.

Application filed March 2'7, 1905. $eria1 No. 252,815.-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JASPER LEOPOLD GREENWOOD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hoboken, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Latches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a new and improved construction in spring actuated latches designed principally for use in locking doors of bookcases, china-closets, cabinets, and the like, and especially upon such articles in which the doors are made to fit under the top instead of striking against the edge of the same, and also in cases where the shelves are set back from the door or made of glass.

The object of the invention is to provide a device especially adapted to meet these re quirements and one in which a positive locking is assured when the doors are closed and the possibility of the latch becoming disengaged from its keeper reduced, which is a common complaint of the devices now commonly employed.

With these briefly-stated objects in view the invention comprises certain details of construction and novelties of combination and arrangement of parts, as will be fully described in the following specification and pointed out in the claims, reference being had to the drawings, in which Figure 1 represents the upper portion of a door having my improved latch applied and the under side of the top to which is secured the aperture-plate which forms the catch that is engaged by the latch-bolt. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the construction employed when the latch-bolt engages the catch carried by a shelf. Fig. %i is a sectional plan view drawn about on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of my device. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the latch-bolt. Fig. '7 is a detail view of the knob. Fig. 8 is a detail view of the face-plate of the construction shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of the casing, and Fig. 10 is a view illustrating a different form of catch from that shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the drawings.

As before stated, my invention is designed particularly for use upon various kinds of cabinets in which the doors fit under the top, such as in the high grade of goods, and in which, as a rule, glass shelves are employed, and in the construction now in use one of the doors is provided. with a hook that engages I an eye or keeper secured to the top or bottom of the cabinet, and a lock and key are necessary for fastening the other door. In these cases the common forms of latches have been found deficient, for the reason that they often become unlatched when the door is closed, and thus permitting the latter to swing open, which is not only unsightly, but also increases the danger of the glass or door being broken.

In carrying out my invention I employ a face-plate A, upon the rear side of which is secured an oblong casing B, in which is ar ranged a slot B, that is in alinement with a slot A in the face-plate, and operating in these slots is a latch-bolt C, having a beveled nose C at one end and a suitable knob or head G at its opposite end and which is de tachably connected to a spindleformed upon the forward end of the bolt. A shoulder C is formed upon the bolt intermediate its ends and is designed for engagement with the outer face of the casing, and the knob C also is provided with a shoulder or bearingplate C, that engages the face-plate, the dis tance between these shoulders being such as to permit of a free sliding movement of the bolt, but at the same time fitting snugly against the face-plate and casing, so as to avoid binding when the bolt is operated. A coiled spring D is arranged in the casing and bears against the bolt to normally hold it in the extreme end of the slot and also in engagement with the keeper. The keeper may be an apertured plate E, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, or a plate having a beveled nose E, as shown in Fig. 10 of the drawings.

When the catch is used upon the upper edge of a door, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, I propose to make the faceplate A with laterally-projecting ears A at its extreme upper end, which are perforated for the reception of screws by which the plate may be secured to the face of the door, as it will readily appear that the casing carrying the spring would prevent the insertion of a screw unless the plate was made of sufficient width to allow the screw to pass along the side of the casing, but as awide plate would detract from the appearance of the article I prefer to provide the ears as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. In cases, however, where the latch is arranged about centrally of the door the form of plate as shown in Fig. 8 may be employed.

The shoulders C and C of the bolt are of sufficient length to completely cover the slots in the face-plate and easing, which prevents the ingress of dust and foreign matter into the casing, which would be apt to destroy the effectiveness of the spring.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I provide an exceedingly cheap and simple device that is particularly adapted for use upon the articles heretofore mentioned, and it may be added that a distinct advantage in arranging the latch at the upper end of the door other than those mentioned is that it is entirely out of the reach of children, and thus renders their access to the cabinet more difficult than if the catch were arranged intermediate the ends of the door.

I do not claim, broadly, the idea of a springactuated latch-bolt, as I am aware of certain constructions in which the bolt projects and is forced through the edge of a casing; but

What I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is'

1. A device of the kind described, comprising aface-plate having a casing secured thereto, each of which has slots arranged therein, a latch-bolt carried by a face-plate and casing and operating through the slots, said bolt projecting at right angle to the longitudinal axis of the casing and having shoulders engaging the face-plate and casing, and a spring arranged within the casing and adapted for engagement with the bolt all substantially as shown and described.

2. A latch of the kind described, comprising a faceplate, a casing arranged at one end thereof, said face-plate and casing having oppositely-disposed slots, a latch-bolt projecting through the slots, said bolt having shoulders that engage the face-plate and casing, and also having a beveled nose at one end and a knob at its opposite end and a coiled spring arranged within the casing and adapted to normally force the bolt toward one end of the slots, substantially as specified.

JASPER LEOPOLD GREENWOOD.

WVitnesses:

JOHN J. MoGREEvY, JosEPH MAYER. 

